Grisanti-sponsored bill aimed to protect dogs and cats from abusive treatment by pet dealers signed into law

Press release

State
Sen. Mark Grisanti today announced Bill S.3955A has been signed into law. This
legislation protects dogs and cats from abusive treatment by pet dealers in New
York state. The law amends the agriculture and markets law related to
administrative hearings and processes for pet dealers.

The
bill, sponsored by Grisanti, passed the New York State Legislature earlier this
year and was signed into law this week by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

"What
we have with this law is another form of legislation that aims at cracking down
on people who handle animals irresponsibly by causing harm to these defenseless
creatures," Grisanti said. "We want to regulate commercial breeders
and pet stores, and be an advocate for dogs, cats and all other pets who are
abused."

The
new law protects dogs and cats from abusive treatment by pet dealers by
requiring that administrative hearings be held to determine whether a pet
dealer license should be suspended or revoked after a certain pattern of failed
inspections has occurred.

The
legislation mandates an administrative hearing be scheduled after three
consecutive failed inspections or three failed inspections within a three-year
time period. By requiring hearings, those who have a pattern of being out of
compliance with the laws that apply to the care of animals will be subject to
having their licenses suspended or revoked, thus preventing them from further
mistreating animals.

"For
more than a decade, laws regulating pet dealers in New York state have failed
to adequately protect dogs in the state's pet stores and commercial breeding
facilities," said Bill Ketzer, senior director of ASPCA government
relations for the northeast region. "This measure will provide the
Department of Agriculture and Markets with a stronger enforcement mechanism to
hold frequent violators of the state's pet dealer law accountable for repeat
offenses. We applaud Gov. Cuomo for signing this measure into law and thank
Sen. Grisanti for his continued commitment to passing legislation that protects
animals."

The
law also permits for additional actions to be taken regarding a pet dealer's
license prior to a licensee failing either three consecutive inspections or
three inspections over three years, a provision to help quickly prevent the
most egregious practices and animal abuse from continuing.

"Many
of the pets that have been abused are later sold to unsuspecting
consumers," Grisanti said. "It is not fair to those people and obviously
it is extremely unfair to the animals. This type of abuse must be prevented,
and this law will help better track repeat offenders to help punish them for
this despicable behavior."

This
law closely follows ongoing discussions and attention to pending legislation
that Grisanti has sponsored that calls for cracking down on puppy mills. Bill
S.3753, which is still awaiting the governor's signature to become a law,
permits local governments to regulate puppy mills and pet stores.